Silva substituted due to 'niggles', says City's Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he took Bernardo Silva off at half-time in Tuesday's 7-0 thrashing of Leeds United as a precautionary measure, with the midfielder experiencing some muscle discomfort.

Silva, who has re-established himself as a key player for City in recent months after appearing set for a move away in the summer, was replaced by German international Ilkay Gundogan.

"He had muscular niggles, nothing injured but he didn't feel comfortable, and after 3-0 (we were taking) no risk," Guardiola told reporters.

Silva has scored seven goals and provided one assist in 16 appearances for City in the Premier League this season.

League leaders City travel to Newcastle on Sunday before hosting Leicester City on Dec. 26 amid a busy run of fixtures.

(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)